New beginning: Billionaire love story novel Chapter 284

As Matthew drove through the quiet streets, Claire sat beside him, her eyes glued to her phone. She had been trying for what felt like hours to track down the owner of a suspicious number but doing it on her phone was proving to be a nightmare. It was slow, clunky, and far from flexible. Claire let out an exasperated sigh, her fingers tapping at the screen in frustration.

“Anything yet?” Matthew asked, glancing over at her while keeping one hand on the steering wheel.

Claire shook her head, not looking up. “No, it's taking forever. This stupid phone isn't cut out for this kind of thing. I should've brought my laptop or something.”

Matthew smirked. “Aren't you supposed to be a tech genius? Can't you make that phone do whatever you want?”

Claire gave him a sideways glance, her mouth twitching into a small grin. “It’s not magic, Matthew. It’s just a phone.”

Matthew chuckled. “Could’ve fooled me. Anyway, how close are we?”

Claire looked out the window, noting the familiar landmarks. “We’re almost there. Just a few more minutes.”

Back at the hospital, Alexander sat next to Abigail's bed, keeping Mary, Abigail’s mother, company as they waited for any signs of improvement.

Suddenly, Alexander remembered something—the bag the police had handed to him yesterday. Abigail's belongings. He hadn’t really gone through it yet, and it dawned on him that perhaps Mary should have it. He turned to her, her face tired and lined with worry.

“Mary,” Alexander started, his voice soft, “I have Abigail’s things. The police gave them to me yesterday, but I think you should have them.”

Mary looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. She gave him a weak smile, grateful for the gesture. "Thank you, Alexander. I didn’t even think about her things."

He stood and retrieved the bag from the couch, but as he held it, something struck him as off. Frowning, he opened the bag and rummaged through it. Abigail's phone—he distinctly remembered seeing it yesterday—was gone.

Mary noticed his hesitation and asked, "What’s wrong, Alexander?"

He forced a smile, not wanting to worry her further. “It’s nothing,” he lied. “It’s just… the police must’ve forgotten to give her phone back. I’ll check with them later.”

Mary took the bag from him, her hands trembling slightly as she held it close to her chest. She turned toward Abigail, lying still on the hospital bed, and her voice wavered as she asked, “Do you think she’ll wake up? I just want her to wake up, Alex.”

Alexander put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “She will. Abigail’s strong. She’ll pull through this.”

Mary continued speaking softly, lost in her thoughts about her daughter, but Alexander’s mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Where had Abigail’s phone gone? He knew for a fact the police had given it to him, and now it had mysteriously disappeared.

As he replayed the events in his mind, a sudden realization hit him. Claire. She had been in Abigail’s hospital room the day before. She was the only person, besides him and the police, who knew about Abigail’s belongings. Could Claire have taken the phone? But why? Alexander’s heart pounded as he tried to piece everything together.

He quickly excused himself from Mary. “I’m going to check with the police about the phone. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Before she could respond, Alexander hurried out of the room, pulling his phone from his pocket. He immediately dialed Claire’s number, but it went straight to voicemail, as usual. He clenched his jaw in frustration. What on earth was Claire doing with Abigail’s phone?

Alexander paced outside the hospital, thinking hard. The police had told him earlier that morning about new information they’d uncovered. Before Abigail’s accident, three men had approached her.

They had shown him the footage from the surveillance camera in that area, and Alexander saw the driver he had spoken to yesterday, and true to his words, he really didn't have any involvement with hurting Abigail on purpose. Abigail came out of nowhere from the footage he saw.

Alex wondered if Claire had figured this out including tracking the three men that harassed Abigail. One thing that stuck in his mind was how Claire managed to stay ahead of him in getting this information.

He dialed Claire’s number again. Voicemail. Again.